H.M.S. NESS

H.M.S. Ness

Ship No 326

Twin screw “River Class” Frigate.

H.M.S. Ness, was the first of the “River Class” Frigates ordered from the Henry Robb shipyard, this design was to produce many of this much needed type of ship for convoy escort and anti-submarine duty in the “Battle of the Atlantic”

She was 1,590 tons, with a length overall of 283 feet with a beam of 36 feet and 6 inches, and a draught of 17 feet and 6 inches. She was laid down on the 3rd of September (two years to the day the war started) and she was launched on 30th July 1942.

After her sea trials she was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 22nd December 1942, and she was to go on to have many successful adventures against the enemy.

H.M.S. Ness survived the war, and was then sold for scrap in September 1956.

“River Class” Frigates.

“This class was developed to have the same capabilities as the pre World War Two "Black Swan" class. However, they were much simpler, cheaper and easier to build with "Reciprocating" rather than "Steam Turbine" power plants. They were designed to be 50ft. longer, at 300ft., than the contemporary "Castle Class", and so the task of building them could not be carried out in many smaller "Civilian" yards.151 of the “River class” were built and most of them served with the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy .

The design was also used as the basis of the USN "Tacoma class", known to the RN as the "Colony Class". The hull design was later elaborated into the "Loch and Bay Class" Frigates”